I am so very sorry you are so upset by my opinion. The last thing I would want would be to cause anyone with CRPS to increase their pain through emotional upset.

I also hear the outrage, hurt and anger at the way you have been treated by others and how emotionally raw that has left you. I don't believe that my worst enemy in my own CRPS battle is the CRPS itself, the view of others, the system including insurance, SSDI, the medical maze, etc., all things over which I have very little control. My own potential worst enemy is the only thing I have control over- that is my emotional response to all those things which can cause emotional upset, increase my pain and determine how raw I become and how much I suffer.

You are very right about one thing. My personal experience with CRPS and my past experience with my former neighbor will certainly effect my reaction to anything similar in the future. I very much regret not reporting her to WC and should I find myself in a similar situation I will not make that same mistake again.

Your opinion didn't upset me personally, no need for an apology. The fact that you gave one probably means I've offended you. If I have, I'm sorry.

I DO get that most people faced with a similar situation would likely respond exactly like you and your husband did at the time. As a society, the norm is no longer to worry about the collective good, and that is what concerns me.

Unless you have a very unique experience, you should expect an onslaught of bs when dealing with the system. Yes, investing negative energy into something beyond your control is counter productive, but expecting WC and the disability process to move ahead like a regular insurance claim seems naive.

It can complicate SSDI approval if you have an open WC case. Having additional, biased resources being used to downplay/disprove your work injury (resulting in a decreased WC claim) can then bleed over into your SSDI claim.

Imagine upon meeting a WC defense doc, that this hired gun denies RSD is a legitimate illness. He then generates a report stating you do not have RSD (well duh! it is a made up disorder after all...) and a SS case worker now has documented evidence to deny your SSDI claim.

A standard tactic is to stall treatment with "creative" reports by overloading treating docs with required responses within limited time frames. The problem is that a WC doc that's never even met you can write a report full of bizarre fabrications about your illness and/or abilities, and SS will still give it full weight, because no where in the report is it revealed that no exam was done.

These things can be refuted, but it will require extra documentation and can lengthen the process. When dealing with the WC/SS combo, the injured worker is essentially forced to not only prove what is fact, but also is forced to disprove WC's fiction.

Even after SSDI approval, WC can cause problems. Medicare can deny payment for treatment based on the drivel in WC reports.

All this can be dealt with, and again, hopefully you'll not have to deal with it.

Thanks Lit Love, Be assured I won't make this mistake again. If anyone finds themselves in a situation similar to mine here is the solution.

Workman's Comp Fraud Hotline is 888-372-8330

Social Security Disability Fraud Hotline is 800-269-0271

What is wild in my opinion is that she picked RSD to fake? A relatively rare condition, one I would think would be hard to fake especially over time and one that most people have never heard of until they come down with it. I pray RSD doesn't become a popular health condition for frauds.

I used to believe that CRPS/RSD was rare but I don't any more. We know four people who have been diagnosed, not close friends but colleagues.

Both my pain management doctor and Neurologist treat many CRPS patients. My primary care physician, whose practice is in a rural area, also treats CRPS patients and several years ago his physician's assistant was disabled due to CRPS.

I used to be troubled by strangers asking me about my service dog. I got some good advice from an NT/CRPS service dog veteran who explained why she was very open with questions from strangers and her explanation made sense to me. Now, if asked, I begin by explaining that my dog helps me by picking up things steadying me, assisting me with dressing, etc. due to a neurological disorder. I am now open and if anyone asks I tell them I have CRPS. I am amazed how many people indicate that they have a friend or relative with CRPS.

I think there are many of us out there!

I am in the same prayer department with you Jim!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed. And, even more surprising since it started over 10 years ago. The numbers a few years ago use to claim 1 in 100,000 had RSD I believe.

Think of the statistical probability of 2 neighbors claiming RSD?

Bringing attention to RSD means earlier treatment for more patients, which is a VERY GOOD THING, but there does seem to be such a jump in the claims that it suggests some over diagnosis. Pain is subjective. All nerve pain shouldn't be assumed to be RSD. Even, diabetic neuropathy is commonly being misdiagnosed as RSD.

Doctors seeing only a few patients with a rare disorder can try to keep up with the literature, but most think they're more informed than they really are.

A WC QME made a claim to me he's "cured" all his patients that have had RSD within a short time frame, and acted as if my lengthy experience with RSD is atypical of the syndrome. I think we all know the opposite is true and that remission is sadly rare.

I am so glad that your denial was overturned at the level of Quality Review. I am now thinking that I must have misunderstood the SSDI caseworker evaluating my case. I thought she told me that denials don't go to quality review. Are you sure your denial was overturned as the result of quality review?

Thanks so much!!!!!

There are instances where you would anticipate larger spikes of RSD, such as military in active combat. Also, the plethora of hand surgeries caused by overuse of computers (in the past 20 years) might account for a chunk of the rising numbers. But, unless there are environmental factors contributing that I've never heard of, multiple legitimate RSD diagnoses in a rural area is surprising.

I'm not suggesting that they're all faking RSD, or don't have serious health issues. But rather that docs in a rush to treat potential RSD patients aggressively and early (which is commendable), are assigning a diagnosis of RSD prematurely.

I've actually used the question of how many RSD patients have you treated as my beginning question to determine a doc's credibility (excluding RSD specialists, of course.) Even a regular pain doc should only have seen a relatively small number of RSD patients over the years. If their numbers are over inflated, I know they're throwing everyone with neuropathic pain under the RSD umbrella. Question them further about some of "our" non-pain related RSD complications, and from their confusion, you'll see what I mean.

I just received a call from SSDI and I was approved!!! Thanks to all of you who helped me with info and support. I was very surprised because this was my first shot, I had no representation and my medical records were peppered with some supposed CRPS specialists saying such things as "It is all in your head" etc. I am even more surprised that it happened so quickly.

I will get my back pay this month and my monthly payments start next month.

One less thing to stress about.

For everyone who is out there still waiting take heart and hang in there!

Again many thanks for the positive comments and support when I needed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

I now plan to go off my anti-inflamation diet and dig into a cheesecake with a serving spoon-wish I could share it with those positive folks who helped me while waiting, even though the wait was not long.

Ballerina, Congrats to you! Isn't that just a wonderful call to receive???!!